Wilbert Dean Bowers Jr.

Dr. Wilbert D. Bowers, Jr. made his transition on Monday August 11 in Oceanside, CA. Born September 16, 1934 in Carbondale, Illinois, to Wilbert, Sr., and Frances (Sadberry), he was a devoted husband, father, son, and uncle who always strove for excellence and worked for racial equality.

Wilbert excelled in school, and had a special affinity for science. He also loved basketball, and played in high school, but never reaching past 5’ 8” tall, science was a much better career route. After graduating from Attucks High School, he enrolled at Southern Illinois University in 1952. His education was put on hold for service in the US Air Force as a weather observer. He then returned to SIU and finished his bachelor’s degree in microbiology in 1960, and became a member of the Kappa Alpha Phi fraternity.

While he was in the Air Force, he also married his high school sweetheart, Doretta Smith on July 4, 1954. And they had their only child, Wilbert, III in 1959. Wilbert went on to get a Master’s in microbiology in 1962 and his PhD in 1967, also at SIU, while working as a Research Assistant there, before moving his family to Palo Alto where he did a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford.

This then led him to move his family across the country to Framingham, MA and a 30-year career at the Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (ARIEM), in Natick. There, he worked as a Research Microbiologist and Electron Microscopist, later becoming Chief of Experimental Pathology, and eventually Chief of Cellular Physiology and Pathology. Throughout his career, he received numerous commendations and awards, and authored or co-authored dozens of research papers and presentations published in a wide variety of scientific and medical journals. While his work for the Army focused on research to help troops, the results would often be adopted in civilian life as well. For example, part of his team’s research on how to protect troops from the cold while requiring less bulky outerwear led to Thinsulate, which was used to make thinner gloves that still kept fingers warm.

All of his achievements are amplified by the fact that he was one among very few African Americans at the time reaching these levels of leadership in his field. His accomplishments were never called into doubt, as his reputation for integrity, thoroughness, and accuracy were unquestionable, as was his innate ability to handle tense situations with diplomacy.

He was also affiliated with numerous professional organizations, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society for Cell Biology, the American Society for Microbiology, the Electron Microscopy Society of America, and served as Treasurer of the New England Society for Electron Microscopy. And he was ARIEM’s representative in a group that began a program with Tuskegee Institute in support of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities initiative. He was also a member of the prestigious international scientific research honor society Sigma Xi.

Meanwhile, outside of work, Wilbert was very active with the Building Fund for the Greater Framingham Community Church, an African American church formed by Black families from various states, craving a familiar community and worship that previously was not found in the area. He also became a lifetime member of the NAACP, as he was determined to help break down racial barriers to advancement for others. He was a member of the South Middlesex County Men’s Club, and the Zenith Investment Club. He also became a participant in the well-known Framingham Heart Study, a long-term study that has significantly shaped our understanding of heart disease and related conditions.

Several years after his retirement, Wilbert and Doretta moved to Goodyear, AZ, and most recently relocated to Oceanside, CA to be near their son.

Wilbert passed away after battling dementia for the last few years of his life, leaving behind his devoted wife of 71 years Doretta (Smith), and his son Wilbert, III, and son-in-law James Ricklef, of Oceanside, CA. He is also survived by his brother-in-law Lowell Turley of Bellevue, NE, and brother-in-law William Smith (Theda) of Carbondale, IL, as well as nieces and nephews John and Susan Thomas of Hammond, IN, Roberta (Gilleylen) and Stephen Knox, of Wheaton, IL, Todd and Jada Gilleylen of Tinley Park, IL, Barbara Gilleylen of Wheaton, IL, Erica Gilleylen of Aurora, IL, and goddaughters Shane Cox of Natick, MA, and Alexandria (Cox) Campbell of Framingham, MA, as well as many cousins and grandnieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents Wilbert, Sr. And Frances (Sadberry), his sister, Doris Turley, his sister-in-law, Sandra Gilleylen, his brother-in-law Robert Gilleylen, Sr., and nephews Gregory Gilleylen, Sr., Robert Gilleylen, Jr., and William Smith, Jr.

The family would like to thank the caregivers and staff of Ocean Hills Senior Living, Senior Doc, and Takara Hospice for their help in caring for Wilbert in his final phase of life. Thanks also to Mariner’s Church for their support while he was able to attend and during this time of transition.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations in

Wilbert’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association www.alz.org